Newton's Laws: A Fairy Tale

Fairy Tale Physics #2

by Sarah Allen

Newton's Laws, explained in a fairy tale.

Kip doesn't have much going for him. His older brothers are the smart and strong ones, and his only inheritance from his father upon coming of age is an apple. But, always optimistic, he is undeterred, and goes out into the world to seek his fortune, meeting a strange wizard with a vendetta and a plan to take over the kingdom.

Throughout the course of the story, you'll be introduced to the ideas behind Newton's Laws, and shown how they work practically in physics. There is also a whole section on problem solving at the end, for anyone taking a physics class who wants to get into the actual math of doing calculations with forces.

This story covers the Newton's Laws component of the content of an AP physics or an introductory college course, and includes over thirty practice problems and worked examples.

Also included are links to other resources like videos, articles, and online simulations for further study.

The story introduces these fundamental concepts:

Newton's Three Laws
Free Body Diagrams
Net Force
Acceleration
Forces

Genres: Science, Nonfiction, Childrens, Fairy Tales, Middle Grade

90 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 14, 2018

About the author

Librarian Note:
There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Pat Eroh · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an absolutely delightful concept. A lot of people struggle with math or English, whatever subject. But almost everyone struggles with physics. It can be tough for many and while those who are good at it, are really good, who does not like a fun fairytale explaining the basics of the concepts of Newton's Laws. This is well-written and easy to understand and is entertaining. As an educator, I can not help but love this.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Emily VA]

Based on the first, fairy tale half of the audiobook.

12 year old - the story was okay, but short. It went by really quickly - adding more detail to the story and focusing less on the physics might have made it a more satisfying story, but I guess that wasn’t the point.

9 year-old - it was good.

Husband - A fun spin on something that’s very often presented in a pretty dry way.

Me - The story is charming and gets at the physics effectively.

None of us were super excited to listen to the second half of the book, which was “physics explained” and problem solving and practice problems. That part might be better on paper than audio? But the audio narration of the fairy tale was great!

[Mererid Evanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book is about half-and-half story and instruction. The story has the solid traditional feel of a regular fairy tale and is also very funny. The introduction of the laws will have the readers racking their brains along with the characters and should make them more than willing to go on to the more conventional explanations in the second half.

There are three attractive colour illustrations inside. I especially liked the one of the capital city (it's different from the castle on the cover). There are links to videos and further reading which are very tempting. And there are a bunch of questions to test your understanding (I did the conceptual ones, but left the more mathy ones).

I'd recommend it for all home schools, and indeed schools in general.

[Martina Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Newton's Laws: A Fairy Tale is absolutely delightful. (I read the updated edition.)

We follow some main characters as they face challenges in the world and try to make it better. The storytelling is simple but has depth and much more meaning than initially meets the eye as we also learn about the laws of physics in easy-to-understand explanations that relate us back to the storytelling. As a reader, I loved reading this and as someone parenting a 10 year old, I love the idea of getting a math kid to read! I highly recommend this! Full disclosure: I was gifted a free copy of this book and am writing this entirely voluntarily.

[LeeAnn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute story presenting physics concepts in a memorable way. She gives a lot of online resources to practice solving physics problems and explaining Newton’s laws further in video and homework type of presentations. I would highly recommend purchasing the book rather than listening to it because of all the material included which needs to be seen to be solved, such as the equations.

The book would be a great resource for a homeschooler parent to guide their teaching of physics concepts and practice.

[Stephen Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting mix of Fairy Tale & Physics, to explore the science behind Newton’s laws!
Overall, it’s a quirky story that involves a young man, who travels with a wizard named Newton.

The first half of the book is the fairy tale, and the last half is the history of the key figures, and explanation of the mathematics and equations that were discovered or established by them.

⚠️ Parental Warnings ⚠️
Story mentions the word “conjure.”

[Tammy Hornbeck · Rating 4 out of 5]

The perfect combination of Fairy Tales and facts of Science. Kids will learn the fundamentals of how their world works without feeling like they are in school. The Librarian Notes feed curious minds for enrichment. However, I am undecided about the Practice Sections. As a reader they distract from the fairy tale element. But as a teacher, I could easily see them being used for creative activities after a lesson. Overall, I enjoyed the book and I am looking forward to reading the next one.

[Ness]

Stopped/paused at 79% (page 58 of 84). I didn't finish all the auxiliary explanations and problems at the end, but I did finish the story so I marked it read.

The story was definitely for teaching the laws, not a story for itself. It's okay, if you know it's just a teaching aid not a literary adventure.

Borrowed ebook from the library.

[Vikki Morrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

An easy to read fairy tale, presented with the three basic laws conceived by Newton. I enjoyed reading it. And as a result, downloaded some of Ms. Allen's other books. I love the way she breaks down the science into something that even a layman can understand. I do recommend this book.

[M.K. Tufft · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic Fun!

I loved the way that physics is introduced as a clever plot point: the new King would be chosen based on his ability to create 3 laws that everyone obeyed!

If you’re looking for a fun STEM fiction book for middle grade kids, look no further!

[Jeannine · Rating 4 out of 5]

More of a YA book. Of 90 pages the first half is a somewhat weak fairy tale that mentions Newton's Laws. Not sure it's enough explanation to help a young adult grasp the concepts. The remainder of the book has some practice problems

[Wendi Cool · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book and the imaginative way that Ms. Allen brings Newton's Laws to life. Highly recommend!

[Bryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A cute fairy tale introduction to Newton's Laws of Motion that has the potential to be a great resource for high school students.

[Michelle Schulten · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting approach to science, for late elementary school aged children. Not to bad for adults, either!

[Mubashk · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a phenomenal way to learn. Easy storytelling to learn fundamental concepts...and then to apply them!!!

[Cori Macrae · Rating 4 out of 5]

I apparently flunked physics again

[Julie Baggenstos · Rating 3 out of 5]

My kids ages 5/7/9 weren’t super into it. I enjoyed it & enjoyed all the extra info in the back. You can tell whoever wrote it is passionate about physics!

[Clarissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is a simple fairy tale, it starts as all fairy tale. and just includes the three Newton laws into it. I was expecting more somehow.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun little book. It reminds me of a prose and physics version of Cindy Neuschwander’s Sir Cumference picture books…which are awesome!

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Print. Glad I read it. It might be fun in the classroom, but honestly for me, the story didn’t improve the topic.

[Crystal Frank · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adorable introduction to Newton's laws. A great way to bring science to life.

[Erica Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fantastic resource for middle schoolers, with added value for parents as well. I appreciate how the author included helpful YouTube links to enhance the content and provide additional context.

[Nathalie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok book, did not enjoy the tale.

[Terry Polston · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very short excursion into physics and calculus. Many links to games and texts. I stopped at the math problem portion.